World | Pakistan
Musharraf to swear in Gilani as PM on Tuesday
new premier orders immediate release of several judges under house arrest
- By Shahid Hussain, Correspondent
- Published: 00:34 March 25, 2008
- Image Credit: EPA
- Yousuf Raza Gilani addresses the National Assembly after being elected prime minister in Islamabad on Monday.
Islamabad: Makhdoom Yousuf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan People's Party was elected prime minister by the National Assembly with a massive vote here on Monday, marking the country's return to full civilian democratic rule.
Gilani, 56, a seasoned PPP politician from Seraiki-speaking part of Punjab, population-wise the largest of the four provinces of Pakistan, received 264 votes from the 342-member lower house of the parliament.
Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, candidate of former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), polled 40 votes.
Gilani will be sworn in today by President Pervez Musharraf, who stepped down as army chief in November last year after ruling the country for eight years in dual capacity.
Order and calm
Prolonged slogans of "Jeya (long live) Benazir Bhutto" from the people watching the proceedings from the galleries of the ornate parliament hall followed the announcement of the result by Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza.
As the first woman speaker repeatedly called for order and calm, the emotional supporters persisted and many of them also shouted "Go Musharraf Go".
In his post-election speech in the house, Gilani pledged the ruling coalition, which he named Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDA), would uphold sovereignty of parliament, supremacy of constitution and rule of law.
He ordered the immediate release of several of some 60 judges, including former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who had been dismissed by Musharraf in November under emergency rule and have been under house arrest.
Gilani did not say when the joint pledge made by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on March 9 in a joint declaration would be carried out.
The declaration promised that the judiciary would be restored to its pre-emergency status and the deposed judges would be reinstated through a parliamentary resolution within 30 days after the formation of the government.
He said the PPP-led PDA government would come up with a 100-day initial programme to address problems like price hike, power crisis and economic hardship being faced by the people.
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